African Welcome Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 1999)
- Member Of:
- Southern Africa Tourism Services Association
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $134 to $514 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Rob Russell | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Three Generation Family from USA treated to a trip of a lifetime by African Welcome Safaris!
Our trip included my wife and I, five kids, two sons-in-law and four grandchildren. I wanted to recreate for them the Safari experience I had in 1987 in Kenya and Tanzania to inspire them for their future. African Welcome Safaris exceeded my ask and delivered an experience that overshadowed 1987 Kenya. Kathi got us Lodges in Madikwe & Kariega that made us feel like Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. More importantly, the twice a day Safari drives delivered all the predators and prey we had hoped for sans the elusive Leopard. In Madikwe we had infinity pools from which we could observe animals collecting at a watering hole. We were kept safe and felt safe at the same time as we were getting Up Close and Personal with Lions, Elephants and Giraffes. My 27 and 33 year old daughters came to us with tears saying: "Did you see all those Elephants around our truck, it was the most beautiful experience". Everyone of us, down to the four grandchildren had the experience of a lifetime. We are so grateful to Kathi for selecting the perfect reserves and lodges for us and ensuring that we had safe and timely transportation as we moved from Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town and to the two reserves, Madikwe & Kariega. Kathi checked us into flights, gave us the name and phone number of the driver for our road trips. True White Glove experience.
Email Maggie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing, truly surpassed our expectations!
Kathi really made this trip amazing. She was on top of all of our travel accommodations and kept in touch throughout the whole trip. My parents loved planning this trip with her and I will be sure to use her for all of our future trips to SA. This was an amazing experience for my families first time traveling abroad. We felt well taken care of and safe. The safari guides, camp staff, drivers, and hotel staff were incredible. I can’t wait to visit again! Beautiful country and great representation!
Email Karly | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Flawlessly Planned 3-Generation South Africa Safari!
Kathi planned the most epic trip to South Africa for our family, and we couldn’t be more grateful! From start to finish, we didn't have to worry about a single detail, all we had to do was show up and enjoy exploring this beautiful country. Everything was seamlessly arranged: flights, ground transportation, accommodations, tours, and incredible experiences.
Planning for a large group with an age range from grandparents down to a 5-year-old grandchild is no small task, but Kathi hit it out of the park. She managed to check off every single person’s bucket list items!
Our stays in Johannesburg and Cape Town were fantastic, super convenient to shopping and top-notch dining. But the game reserves Kathi selected truly blew us away. She chose two distinct reserves that gave us a genuine appreciation for South Africa’s diverse terrain:
Madikwe: Our 5-star private reserve and lodging were unmatched. Our safari guides were incredible, teaching us about bush plants and wildlife while delivering mind-blowing animal sightings, all with immense respect for the animals.
Kariega: The Homestead felt like our home away from home. The experience here was unforgettable, featuring both land safaris and river boat drives. Our guides gave us deep insights into the land, local culture, and crucial conservation efforts. Saying goodbye was so hard!
To top it all off, our Cape Town adventures were led by an exceptional local tour guide and driver who gave us such rich context on South Africa’s history and people.
Kathi gave our family the adventure of a lifetime. If you're looking for an attentive, expert travel planner who takes all the stress off your shoulders, look no further!
Email Laura | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Rwanda experience from end-to-end, including amazing lodges, chimpanzees and gorillas
Going to Rwanda to go gorilla trekking was a dream trip for me. I had been considering it for about a decade -- and even started planning a first version with Kathi and African Welcome Safaris back in 2019. I ended up pausing at that point, and only finally came back late 2025 to plan our August trip. Kathi has always been incredibly patient and helpful. I came in with a starting budget and based on the first itinerary realized that I wanted to go with a higher tier of lodges that would need a bigger budget. I worked with Kathi on what that right range would be and found a sweet spot that worked for my budget and level of luxury I was looking for. This included about 4-5 different iterations before making my final decision. Note: This is the second time I've worked with Kathi, as she also planned our 2017 safari in Sabi Sands. Kathi communicated clearly on costs, itinerary and payment timelines, which all went smoothly.
As for the trip itself, it went off without a hitch. Our driver -- who we had for the full week and appreciated the consistency -- met us at the airport upon arrival without any issues. He brought us to our first hotel (Hemingways Retreat Kigali) and briefed us on when he would pick us up the next morning and plan for the day. Our room at Hemingways was above and beyond thanks to Kathi. We were in the Royal Suite, where King Charles has stayed, and it was spacious with it's own plunge pool. Our driver took us around Kigali for the day with a planned itinerary while also being flexible to things we wanted to add in. Each day when he dropped us off, he would tell us the time and plan for the next day -- so we always knew what was coming without needing to worry or keep track of details. From Kigali, we went out to Nyungwe forest where we stayed at the One & Only property there. It is among the best we've ever stayed at and was a recommendation from Kathi for a not to miss. We went chimpanzee trekking in the area (excellent!) and spent time relaxing at the hotel where they have many included activities (we did a tea tasting, drum performance and hiked around the property). After two nights there, we drove up to Volcanoes National Park -- making a stop at Lake Kivu for lunch, which was beautiful to see without needing to spend an overnight. We stayed at Wilderness Sabyinyo, a recommendation from Kathi. This was the perfect match for us based on cost, luxury and service. The lodge is community owned, so profits go back to support the people in the area with things like education, water, financial literacy and more. About 90% of the staff is from the local area, and they are fantastic and incredibly caring. They also had gaiters, gloves, rain jackets and pants for guests when trekking. It was truly full service. Now, the gorilla trek! It was unbelievable and so so special. Looking back, I would have ideally done two gorilla treks with a golden monkey trek in between as a rest day. (Albiet that comes with cost and vacation time.) Then, we drove directly from the lodge to Kigali airport on our departure day -- which was quick and smooth. The whole week was seamless and well managed, and we felt taken care of at each and every stage.
I enjoy working with Kathi and appreciate her flexibility to go back and forth on the itinerary to ensure it meets our needs and budget. And I plan to continue working with her for future Africa trips. One thing I would have appreciated was a bit more information up front before we left on things like who our driver would be, that we would have one driver for the week, hiking gear provided by each lodge, etc. The preparation document that was shared was more general and not specific to our trip, which would have been helpful. I ended up doing more of my own research through lodge reviews, blogs, etc -- and then trusted that Kathi had taken care of everything else. (Which she did!)
CA
Email Amy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Organized, Knowledgeable led to a trip of a lifetime! Would highly recommend to anyone
Kathi was a major part of why our honeymoon trip to South Africa was a trip of a lifetime! Every step of the way Kathi was organized and so prompt in the beginning stages of planning. She was very prompt with email replies back.
It is clear that she has a deep understanding of the area including the cities and safari, which allowed us to experience the highlights of South Africa and Kruger park. During our trip, Kathi remained in close contact, and was so accommodating when we wanted to add to book an extra excursion. She would provide us ahead of time the name of any drivers, and give us reminders to check into flights. I also wanted to shout out the tour operators that Kathi connected us with; Debbie was amazing and we loved spending the 4 days touring Cape Town and surrounding areas. We also can't even start with the safari Kathi recommended and booked us into! The whole trip went so smoothly, and we felt safe the whole time thanks to Kathi's work.
For anyone looking to book, I 100% recommend Kathi, and have already given my recs to my close friends and family
SG
Email Priyanka | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable, stress-free honeymoon in South Africa!
We recently returned from an incredible 11-day honeymoon in South Africa organized by African Welcome Safaris, and we couldn't be happier with the experience.
From the initial planning stages, Kathi was super helpful and responsive. She gave us multiple options tailored to what we were looking for and guided us smoothly through every detail, patiently answering our every question via email.
The accommodations and local guides chosen for us were top-notch across the board. On top of that, the on-the-ground execution was mostly seamless. We didn't have to worry about logistics at all, which allowed us to completely relax and focus on enjoying our honeymoon.
Huge thanks to Kathi and the team for making our trip so memorable. We highly recommend African Welcome Safaris to anyone planning a dream vacation to Africa!
Email Silvia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful
Once in a lifetime trip was amazing, the trip was wonderful and magical for that we observed and what the tour guides, drivers, staff and more did for us while out in the jungle .
Professional, friendly , reliable , safety feeling easy going people., The cost of this trip was reasonable and worth every penny. I would highly recommend this company for an incredible safari trip
CA
Email Mike Pitre | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent pre-trip preparation and concierge services during our trip.
We started planning this trip over one year in advance, and as we learned more about the people and places that we would be visiting, naturally we needed to make changes along the way. Kathi from African Welcome Safaris was very professional and knowledgeable about proposing an initial itinerary and making numerous changes along the way.
Kathi helped us schedule tours in Namibia, Cape Town and Phinda Private Game Reserve. She arranged for a private guided tour of the Namib Desert and Skeleton Coast in Namibia, where we had an excellent driver who stayed with us for the duration in Namibia. Our tours in Namibia were arranged by Kathi through Namibia Tours and Safaris. Accommodation, meals and tours were all excellent.
Our week in Cape Town was spent at the Dorp Hotel in Bo Kaap. Kathi arranged a room with cooking and laundry facilities so that we could enjoy home cooked meals and refresh our laundry for the remainder of the trip. We had interesting tours of Table Mountain, Cape Point and Winelands while staying in Cape Town. Kathi also arranged a self drive tour of Kagga Kamma, where we hiked to rock art sites and enjoyed sun downer drives.
The final leg of our tour was a safari at the Phinda Private Game Reserve. We stayed at Phinda Mountain Lodge, where we enjoyed amazing views from our private patio complete with plunge pool. The people, food and animal encounters were all amazing.
The accommodations, tours and professionals that we used throughout the trip were top-notch and reasonably priced at every stage of our tour. Most importantly, Kathi provided excellent concierge services during the tour. Reminding us when to check in for flights, providing boarding passes, reminding us when to meet our guides and drivers. Kathi was also a valuable resource when we needed to make changes during the trip.
It was a great comfort to know that Kathi was a WhatsApp call or message away, when we were so far from home. I highly recommend Kathi Simon at African Welcome Safaris.
Email Darlene Luffman | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An Absolutely Exceptional African Safari Experience – Thank You, Kathi Simon!
We cannot say enough wonderful things about Kathi Simon at Africa Safaris Welcome! We spent two and a half years planning our dream trip to Africa, making numerous changes along the way, and Kathi was absolutely outstanding from beginning to end.
Kathi truly listened to what we wanted and created an incredible itinerary that exceeded our expectations. Every recommendation she made was spot-on, and every detail was thoughtfully planned. Our journey took us through Rwanda, Victoria Falls, Chobe, Cape Town, the Winelands, and Kruger National Park. Each destination offered something unique and unforgettable.
The accommodations were all five-star, the experiences were exceptional, and we were thrilled to see the Big Five on safari. Despite the many destinations, flights, transfers, and private tours involved, everything went seamlessly. Kathi coordinated all our logistics, including the regional flights with Airlink, private transfers, knowledgeable local guides, and every connection along the way. We never had to worry about a thing.
Our guides were wonderful—friendly, engaging, and incredibly knowledgeable—and we loved every one of them. Every hotel, activity, and experience Kathi suggested was fantastic. It was clear how much thought, expertise, and personal attention she put into creating our trip.
What made the experience even more special was that Kathi took the time to come meet us for coffee while we were in Cape Town. That personal touch meant so much to us and speaks volumes about the level of service and genuine care she provides.
After two and a half years of planning, our African adventure turned out to be everything we had hoped for and more. Kathi took our vision and turned it into a truly extraordinary, seamless, and unforgettable journey.
If you are considering a trip to Africa, we wholeheartedly recommend Kathi Simon and Africa Safaris Welcome. Her knowledge, attention to detail, responsiveness, and dedication are exceptional. We would trust her without hesitation to plan another trip for us.
Thank you, Kathi, for giving us the trip of a lifetime!
TH
Email Adam Preston | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything went like clockwork
From airport pickup to quality of hotels selected we were happy with every aspect of the service we received. Our private jeep was comfortable and our guide knowledgable. We took his advice and were delighted with the outcomes. Early morning start from the lodge with packed breakfast gave us some unforgettable experiences with the wildlife. We had limited time but the route and choice of national parks was perfect. I carefully printed out every voucher the agent provided us with but I never need to show any of them. 100% reliability and value for money
